Clothes-line reel



(N0 Mudel.)

I. L. WRIGHT 8: E. N. KEL-SEY.

CLOTHES LINE REEL.

Patented Aug. 4, 1896.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

FRANK L. WRIGHT AND EVERETT N. KELSEY, OF \VINFIELD, KANSAS.

CLOTH 'ES-LINE REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,064, dated August4, 1896. Application filed October 5, 1894. Serial No. 525,080. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it 12mg concern-z Beit known that we, FRANK L. WRIGHT andEVERETT N. KELSEY, citizens of the United States, residing at \Vinfield,in the county of Cowley and State of Kansas, have invented a new anduseful Clothes-Line Reel, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in clothesdine reels.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofclothes-line reels, and to provide a simple and inexpensive one whichwill rewind a clothes-line after the same has been used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clothes-line reel inwhich the spring for rewindin g the line will operate to hold the doorof the easin g closed to protect the clothes line from the weather, and,when the door is open, to cause the clothes-line to be carried outwardfrom the casing and to beheld within convenient reach of the operator toobviate any difficulty in finding readily the end of the line.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is. a perspective view of a clothes-line reelconstructed in accordance with this invention. gitudinal sectional viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 4: is asectional view illustrating the construction of the gearing. Fig. 5 is adetail view of the ratchet-wheel.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

1 designates a box or casing constructed of wood or other suitablematerial and designed to be secured to the corner of a building or to apost, and having its side 2 extended rearward to form ears 3, which areperforated for the reception of fastening devices, and the back or rearwall of the box or casing is extended above and below the same to formupper and lower ears 4 and 5, which are also perforated for thereception of suitable fastening devices. The lower front portion of thebox or casing is rounded at 6, and the upper portion is provided with anopening 7, at one Fig. 2 is alon-' side of which is hinged a door 8,adapted to be closed when the line is not in use, to protect the samefrom the weather.

The box or casing has journaled in it a transverse shaft 9, havingrounded ends and 11, an d a central squared portion receiving a spool ordrum 12, on which a clothes-line 13 is wound. The shaft has one endjournaled in a washer 1a and the adjacent side of the box or casing, andthe washer 14 is set into the side 15 of the box or casing and has itsface flush with the inner face of the same. The other end ll of theshaft is extended through the side 2 of the casing and has bearing inopen in gs of inclin ed braces or bearing-bars 1 6. The shaft 9 hasfixed to it a pinion 17, which meshes with a cog-wheel 18, keyed orotherwise secured to a stub-shaft 19, and the latter is also journaledin the bearing-bars or braces 16, and has attached to it one end of abarrelspring 20. The barrel-spring is arranged in a circular opening 21of the side 2 of the, boxor casing. Its inner end is attached to thestub-shaft 1D, and its outer end terminates in an eye which is securedby asnitable fastening device to the braces or bearing bars or plates16, whereby, when the line is paid out, the spring will be wound up andwill, after the line has been used, actuate the spool or drum forrewinding the clothes-line.

The circular opening of the side 2 of the casing and the adjacent partsare concealed by a plate 21, secured to the outer face of the box orcasing.

The extended end of the shaft 9 has keyed to it a ratchet wheel 23,which, after the line is in position for use, is engaged by a pivotedpawl 24c to prevent any more line being unwound from the reel, and theline may be readily tightened by pulling it in the direction of the boxor casing, the spring operat ing to take up all slack. In rewinding theline it is first drawn in the direction of the casing or boxsufficiently to slack it slightly, so that the pivoted pawl may bereadily disengaged, and after the line has been released from the postit will be automatically wound up by the spring, the operator walking inthe direction of the box or casing and holding the end of the line,whereby the clothes-line may be prevented from coming in contact withthe ground.

The hinged door 8 is provided at itsouter side with a knob 25, and ithas on its inner face a hook 26, which is adapted to have linked into itan eye of a double ring or link 7 27, which consists of a pair of eyesor rings arranged at right angles to form a stop for the line, toprevent the end of the latter from being carried inward by the spool ordrum. One of the rings is attached to the line and the other engages thehook 26, whereby the spring for rewinding the line operates to hold Ithe door 8 closed. I

,It will be seen that the clothes-line reel is simple and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, that it may be readily attached to acornerof a house or a post, and that it is adapted to rewind theclothes-line automat- I ically. It will be seen that the spring forrewinding the line operates to hold the door closed to protect theclothes-line from the weather, and'that the clothes-line, by beingconnected with the door, will, when the door is opened, be drawn outwardand held in convenient reach of the operator to avoid any ,difiiculty infinding the end of the line.

drum will hold the door normallyclosed, and

the line will always be in convenient reach of the operator when thedoor is swung open, substantially as described.

In testimony that we clairnthe foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK L. WRIGHT. EVERETT N. KELSEY. Witnesses F. W. DOANE, J. E. JAnvIs.

